The Cincinnati Bengals' new-look defense may still be waiting for Godot, er, Trey Hendrickson to hit the field, but defensive coordinator Al Golden appears to be making the absolute most of who he has at his disposal.
Let's just say Joe Burrow and the offense weren't to blame for the Bengals missing the playoffs for the second year in a row in 2024. Out goes ex-DC Lou Anarumo, in comes Golden, a highly quotable, affable breath of fresh air who's keen to capitalize on Cincinnati's innate strengths.
Golden just stood before the media for a good 13-plus minutes and gave a lot of insight into how training camp is going thus far. Whether it's updates on key players, a glimpse into his schematic savvy, or explaining how he'll "terrorize Starbucks" because he can't wait till it opens to come into work every day, this Bengals defense promises to feel different in 2025.
So without further ado, let's dive into Golden's latest media session and see what we can glean.
Shemar Stewart flashing despite not being in "football shape"
The Bengals' first depth chart premiered on Sunday, ahead of Thursday's preseason tilt with the Philadelphia Eagles. While it's understandable that Shemar Stewart wasn't a starter since he missed the whole offseason program before training camp, it's disappointing nonetheless.
As is the fact that Stewart isn't in optimal shape — or as good of shape as he could've been if he were working out with the team sooner. I choose to see this through a more optimistic lens, though. Golden had plenty of other kind words for the 17th overall pick:
"He’s got to get into football shape. The tempo got him a little bit today, so we just got to keep working on that, keep working and then know that we'll get him some days off and get him ready for Thursday night…but overall, he's physical, he's powerful at the point of attack, he plays with effort and energy, and you feel his presence on the field."
Regardless of where Stewart is now conditioning-wise, the most important thing is that he's ready for Cleveland in Week 1. Ideally he'll be atop the depth chart then, starting opposite Trey Hendrickson. Plays like the one below should give fans hope that by the time Stewart is in football shape, he could be downright scary.
Shemar Stewart fired up after pressuring QB Jake Browning. #Bengals @WCPO pic.twitter.com/j26aaKUmOw
— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) August 3, 2025
A certain safety is making a strong impression
The secondary is such a wild card for the Bengals, but given all the youthful talent they have on the back end, it's exciting to ponder what this group could become.
Although most of the buzz I've seen revolves around the cornerback room, Golden made sure to highlight how well third-year safety Jordan Battle has adapted to the new system. Battle showed signs of being a starting-caliber player in his first two pro campaigns, yet struggled to carve out a consistent role. From the sounds of it, that's bound to change in 2025:
"He’s a better tackler than he was a year ago, and I just think he has command of the defense right now. I feel him out there, and he has the ability to play a lot of different positions for us, which is exciting."
Going off of Pro Football Focus' data, there's reason to believe Battle is well on his way to presenting exotic looks for opponents. He lined up at box safety for 218 snaps last season, 181 snaps at free safety, 41 snaps as a slot cornerback, and even logged 14 plays as a boundary corner.
Cincinnati leaned hard on Geno Stone to play deep safety in '24. He didn't quite rise to the occasion as expected, considering he was fresh off a nine-interception season for the AFC North rival Ravens. One play from camp flashed to my mind from a little while back, where Stone screamed in on a well-timed blitz.
4. Listen to Golden say, “so freaking good” after a perfectly-timed blitz by Geno Stone leads to a break-up by Oren Burks.
— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) July 23, 2025
“I feel like I’m getting to show my versatility,” said Stone. “I haven’t had a sack in my career yet, so that’s something I’m planning on getting this year.” pic.twitter.com/UM9aERqNwZ
Stacking together what Golden said about Battle and this play/quote from Stone suggests the two starting safeties could be more interchangeable this coming year. That can only help the defense's cause.
Al Golden's scheme will lean heavily on depth and multiplicity
Dovetailing that last clip into this juicy tidbit from Golden, it seems like Stone and the safeties won't be the only ones who'll be aligning all over the place this season to confuse opposing offenses.
There's a fine line between catering to the players' strengths and falling in love with exotic schemes. It felt like Golden's predecessor Anarumo lost the plot in that regard, asking too much of a young secondary and perhaps getting a little cute at times, when playing more traditional coverages would've probably gotten the job done.
What Golden describes here, though, is keeping things a little simpler for the players, and in doing so, freeing them up to take on more responsibilities and align where they traditionally wouldn't.
"It doesn't help us if we have six corners and none of them know how to play safety or nickel, right? Or we have you know six ends and none of them can go inside and play 3-technique or play 5-technique in a different package. So I think we want versatility. We we have multiple linebackers now can play the edge, so it just makes us versatile without subbing."
Golden then punctuated that point further by going of his way to praise Stewart's ability to line up anywhere along the trenches. Even though the rookie's collegiate production (4.5 sacks in three years at Texas A&M) was suboptimal, Stewart's ability to disrupt from all over the line of scrimmage is popping to Golden already.
Another ringing endorsement for Demetrius Knight Jr.
To springboard off the last subheading, whereas Stewart is still getting his sea legs under him — in part due to a needless contract holdout — his draft classmate Demetrius Knight Jr. has hit the ground running by all accounts.
Whether it's certain insiders or Joe Burrow himself showering Knight with praise, the former South Carolina standout is already atop the depth chart, ahead of notable free-agent signee Oren Burks. Golden had glowing things to say about Knight as he held court with the local media:
"He's what we thought he was. [...] What you can't measure is what he's doing when he's not here, and that is studying a lot, preparing at an elite level. He's a pros pro. He comes in every day and he's the same guy. He's consistently playing at a high level. He's a big man — he's 240 pounds. He can play in the stack, he can play on the edge, he can give you some rushes. So we're excited about him."
Knight just might be a considerable upgrade from prior starter Germaine Pratt. I personally think Oren Burks will be as well. Combine Knight and Burks with a healthy Logan Wilson, and this Cincinnati linebacker corps should be cooking with flammable gas.